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Winter War
One of the more costly wars in Natum's history, the sixteen month conflict that would become known as The Winter War tore apart the tenuous peace that'd held in northern Natum since the realm's creation and saw the complete destruction of Myrefall. Lead up Though later denied vehemently, the Ashlands and Norlund had been actively plotting to substantially weaken or even destroy the CRS in what was referred to as The Trinity Affair. The Ashlands and Myrefall in particular had substantial concerns over the looming existential threat posed by the expansionist giant, with Ashlander concerns growing following failures to establish an International that would see the Ashlands on equal footing. Kenuqse Giver-of-Letters would later go so far as to suggest a permanent alliance with Norlund and Vega to avoid forced assimilation into the CRS. The general sense of conspiracy and distrust, intermingled with dreams of expansionist unification, made war nearly inevitable. Pretext While conducting a tour of the CRS to gather the belonging's of a Renegade CRS Officer in the midst of international pressure orchestrated as part of the Trinity Affair, a combined force of Renegade Red Army, Makhnoq Black Guards, and Myrefall defenders were discovered and intercepted by CRS Red Army forces. Declaring it an invasion, Chairman Fireball used the tour's presence as pretext for war. Opening phase of the war Nearly immediately routing the touring combined force in its capital, the CRS set in motion a planned offensive on the Ashlands only to pull back as a hastily mobilized Norlundic force sought to seize initiative in the south before being beaten back. Following a call for international aid against foreign invasion on 2.4.7.12E0, Chairman Fireball levied the population of Londinium into a conscript force which was then marched into the Ashlands to occupy the Mount Kumaq region where brief combat took place in favor of the CRS. Royal of Makhno was nearly captured, only escaping thanks to the near complete loss of CRS rebel forces and knowledge of the Ashland's tunnel network. By 1.1.8.13E0, Mount Kumaq had become completely occupied and the CRS claimed victory over the Ashlands despite the majority of the nation remaining unoccupied and mobilized. On 3.2.8.13E0, Myrefall surrendered, with its leadership fleeing abroad and population becoming subject to grievous punitive acts. The Ashlands respond Having been en-route to Makhno when the war broke out, Kenuqse Giver-of-Letters wasn't aware of the outbreak of the war until 1.3.7.13E0 and the Ashlander response, particularly that in the Kumaq region, was initially utterly disorganized and largely consisted of the resisting and delaying actions of Royal of Makhno. Publicly dedicating his efforts to peace, Kenuqse very nearly rescinded his propaganda and calls for peace upon learning of his wife's death in the defense of Kumaq on 5.4.7.13E0. Visibly shaken during his public addresses at Makhno for international pressure and aid, Kenuqse did go so far as to air several threats of a "true Ashlander entry into the war" as the CRS' inability to effectively occupy all of the territory across the Ashlands-Norlund front became apparent. Norlundic resistance Though near-entirely occupied by the end of 10.13E0, the Norlundic People's Army under Terry II refused to surrender and maintained a guerrilla campaign occasionally aided by Royal of Makhno and the Makhnoq Black Guard, which refused Kenuqse's calls for Ashlander "neutrality". Though consistently outnumbered, Terry II's forces consistently inflicted disproportionate casualties and even raided the CRS city of Londinium on 4.3.3.14E0. Closing stage Under mounting pressure to bring an end to the "pointless" war both at home and abroad and foreseeing little chance of success in dealing with Terry II's forces, Chairman Fireball began quiet peace talks with Kenuqse Giver-of-Letters in 4.14E0 as the two began to negotiate for position in the postwar north, culminating in the Brandywine Conference. Initially refusing calls to come to the conference, Terry II and the Republic of Norlund were largely excluded from preliminary rounds of debate at Brandywine. A circumstance which was exploited by both the Ashlands and the CRS to draft agreements of territorial exchanges in their mutual interest. Finally arriving as peace between the two remaining powers of the war was nearly set, Terry II had little choice but to accept the terms of The Brandywine Treaty, officially ending the war on 1.3.5.14E0. Legacy Though there was no official shift in the CRS' position in the international community, it would see its reputation and prestige permanently tarnished by the Winter War, primarily due to its actions in Myrefall and inability to crush the Norlundic resistance. Myrefall would see a zombie-like resurgence as a puppet republic within the CRS, with few of its original inhabitants remaining. Norlund would see substantial territorial losses, but gain a great deal of international prestige and a greater sense of national unity. The Ashlands gained substantial and highly valuable new territories by allowing the CRS mining access, a move which would see its economic, political, and military power skyrocket as the sole major power in the north who hadn't been substantially bled by the war's effort. Eventually, the Ashlands would return large tracts of the Norlundic land they'd gained, primarily to be used as leverage in acquiring Norlundic admittance to North Concord, which never succeeded. Tensions would remain high in the north of Natum until the East Seas War saw the powers of The Ashlands, The CRS, and The Republic of Norlund unified against an outside threat.